<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Iterum by Bajillian</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532720">Iterum</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian'>Bajillian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Canon Universe, Death, Gen, Jinbe and a couple of the Whitebeard Pirates make a brief appearance, Loss, Marineford Arc, Not A Fix-It, Platonic Relationships, Second Chances, Self-Loathing, Supernatural Being, timeline reset</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 06:54:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532720</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bajillian/pseuds/Bajillian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luffy was given another chance to save Ace... but the cost was much bigger than he had expected.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Monkey D. Luffy &amp; Portgas D. Ace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Iterum, Latin for "again."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luffy sprinted into the Amazon Lily forest, despite his body being covered in bandages and in no shape to be moving around. It was a dream. It had to have been a dream. Ace was alive.</p>
<p>At least, that was what he kept telling himself.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to accept that he’d both infiltrated and escaped Impel Down, made it to Marineford, freed Ace, and was just about to leave… only for Ace to die anyway. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t <i>right.</i> He wanted to beat up every last marine who had agreed to the order so they could suffer just like he was.</p>
<p>A rustling in the bushes startled him out of his thoughts, and for a moment, he was frozen. He looked around to take in his surroundings, which mostly consisted of trees and other flora. The chances of it being someone he’d ran past earlier were high, but there was still a slim chance of it being someone or something else.</p>
<p>Cautiously, he turned his head, and when he spotted an unfamiliar being, he jumped away and fell to the ground. The being looked supernatural: a semi-transparent and glowing light blue body that had only a vague human-like shape. A couple butterflies of the same aesthetic flew around them.</p>
<p>Luffy blinked a couple of times and stumbled on his words before he managed to speak coherently. “Who… are you?” he asked.</p>
<p>“You have lost someone very close to you, haven’t you… Monkey D. Luffy?” The voice was soft and higher pitched as it echoed into the air. It almost sounded breathy, but they didn’t seem like the type of being that would use lungs, or any kind of breath for that matter.</p>
<p>Luffy’s eyes went wide before his expression looked angry. “I asked you a question first!” he shouted. “Who are you? And why do you care about that?”</p>
<p>“I am Iterum,” the being replied. “I visit those who are living and worthy of second chances. I watched your efforts at Marineford. The lengths you went through to save your brother, Portgas D. Ace, was admirable.”</p>
<p>“It doesn’t even matter because I was still too weak!” Luffy said, slamming his fist onto the ground. “I was still… too… weak to save him! He ended up getting executed anyway! And you were just watching? Why didn’t you try to help like everyone else??”</p>
<p>“I am not allowed to interfere with events that are happening in the present,” Iterum explained. “Only those that have happened in the past.”</p>
<p>Luffy paused. He was still fired up, but this… thing was offering to help. What was the worst that could happen? “And how do you plan on doing that?”</p>
<p>Though Iterum didn’t have a visible face, Luffy could sense their smile. Like their energy was enough to convey one. “With your permission, I can reset the timeline to a specific moment,” they said. “I cannot guarantee that it will fix the problem. Once I reset, the rest is in your hands.”</p>
<p>Luffy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Maybe… maybe I wasn’t too weak, and the timing was just wrong,” he said. “Now that I know what could happen, I can-- wait, will I keep my memories?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Everything about the timeline will reset, except for your memories,” Iterum said. “Even your wounds will be healed to the state they were before.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Luffy said with a nod. This time, he’d just have to have a quicker reaction. Keep Ace out of the way of Akainu’s fist. He was sure he could save his brother by getting him out of the situation, since they’d been so close to escaping before. “...Hey, I have a question.”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“You said you visit people who are alive and deserve second chances,” Luffy said. “Why didn’t you visit me or Ace when Sabo died?”</p>
<p>Iterum was quiet.</p>
<p>“Hello??”</p>
<p>“I am not allowed to speak about the future,” Iterum said. </p>
<p>“What? What does this have to do with the future?” Luffy asked, getting angry again. “Sabo died when we were little. Was he not deserving of a second chance?”</p>
<p>Iterum hesitated before speaking again. “We should focus on Ace for now. There isn’t a lot of time before I must leave you.”</p>
<p>Luffy huffed. He wasn’t sure why they were acting weird about his question regarding Sabo, but he figured he shouldn’t dwell on it so he could take the opportunity of getting Ace back instead. “How exactly does this work?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Tell me what you’d like to do, and when you’d like to reset to. Then, you must give me your permission, almost like a verbal signature.”</p>
<p>“Wait, is this like a contract?” Luffy asked. “I wanna save Ace, but this is sounding sketchy.”</p>
<p>“Like I’ve said previously, I cannot control how successful you are in the reset. One reset is allowed per person,” Iterum said. “Therefore, I must confirm that you are sure about wanting to go back.”</p>
<p>Luffy nodded slowly. “That makes sense. What happens if something worse comes out of this? Am I stuck with that?”</p>
<p>“Yes. There is no going back once you have accepted a reset,” Iterum said. “You must choose wisely whether you are satisfied with the current situation, or if you would like to try for another possible outcome.”</p>
<p>Luffy was in no way satisfied with the current situation. Ace could’ve come out of Marineford alive, had he not stepped into Akainu’s path. Perhaps, he could make sure that he and Ace move out of the way in time for Akainu to miss.</p>
<p>“Have you decided what you would like to do?” Iterum asked.</p>
<p>“I… think I’m gonna reset,” Luffy said. “I don’t know how it could get any worse. Ace already died. Maybe I can save him.”</p>
<p>“Maybe.” Iterum held out a hand that was hidden amongst their form. “Take my hand.”</p>
<p>Luffy reached up to take it. It was barely solid. His hand felt as if it were inside of a room full of gentle wind, cool and constantly moving.</p>
<p>“Now… say the following: I, Monkey D. Luffy, wish to reset,” Iterum said. “And then tell me where you would like me to reset you to. I promise it will not be painful. In fact, you will feel nothing at all. You will see a flash, and then you will be there.”</p>
<p>Luffy nodded. That sounded simple enough. “I… Monkey D. Luffy, wish to reset to Marineford, a minute before Ace was killed.”</p>
<p>“You shall experience Marineford once again. Good luck.”</p>
<p>With that, Luffy saw a flash of light and was brought back to his place on the ground at Marineford. His bandages had disappeared, and the silence that the world had brought was replaced with yelling and guns being shot. He looked up just in time to see Akainu start to throw his magma punch, and right as Ace moved to step in front of him, Luffy grabbed his shoulders, spun the two around…</p>
<p>...and took Akainu’s punch.</p>
<p><i>“Luffy!!”</i> Ace screamed, and he took Luffy into his arms as the boy collapsed to his knees.</p>
<p>Jinbe intervened to keep Akainu busy for the time being.</p>
<p>“A-Ace…” Luffy managed, his voice strained and quiet. He coughed and wheezed, and took in the feeling. It felt as though his insides were on fire, and to be fair, they kind of were. The hole through his back and chest didn’t bring in enough cool air to soothe the pain. Was this what Ace had felt like? It was unbearable, but he didn’t have the energy to scream. “I… I’m sorry… This wasn’t--” A cough. “This wasn’t supposed to… happen this way…”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to apologize,” Ace said, his voice shaky. He held Luffy in a hug, half to hide the tears forming in his eyes. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve been there in front of you. I shouldn’t have let you push me out of the way.”</p>
<p>“No…” Luffy coughed again before taking in a raspy breath. “It’s not... your fault, either.” Tears welled up in his eyes, and two weak arms managed to wrap around Ace. “It was… Akainu…”</p>
<p>Ace choked out a breath and closed his eyes. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he said. “You shouldn’t have wasted your life on someone like me. A good for nothin’ nobody who wasn’t supposed to be born.”</p>
<p>Luffy shook his head slightly. “No…” he repeated. <i>No.</i> What happened to Ace realizing that he was important? Had he made a mistake by resetting? Or worse, had he messed up his chance this badly? “You’re… so much... more than that. People… care about you. You being born… wasn’t a mistake.”</p>
<p>Ace started to sob, and held Luffy tighter (as much as he could without putting too much pressure on his wound). “If me bein’ born meant you dyin’ from savin’ me… then was it really worth it?” he asked. “You had way more potential than I do. A bigger dream. You gave that all up for me.”</p>
<p>“Ace…” Luffy weakly gripped onto Ace’s back. “I promise… it’s not your fault.” He took a moment to breathe as best as he could. “I don’t have… much time… left. Please… do me a… favor.”</p>
<p>Ace sniffled and nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Anything.”</p>
<p>Luffy sobbed quietly. “...Take care of my… crew,” he said. “Take care… of your crew. But before… either of those things… take care of… yourself.” With the remaining strength he had, he pushed himself back so he could look at Ace’s face. “Thank you… for being my big brother… I love you.”</p>
<p>“I… I love you, too,” Ace said before Luffy’s eyes closed and he fell limp against Ace.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a moment, Ace was frozen in shock. All that time spent thinking about how he was going to be executed. All of his emotions building up into acceptance. This wasn’t what he had waited for. He was okay with himself dying, not Luffy. Not the future King of the Pirates. His kid brother.</p>
<p>The world around him became muffled, his hands shaking against the lifeless body. No. No, no, no, <i>no!</i> Though he couldn’t hear it, he screamed. It felt as if his throat was ripping apart from the sheer force, the denial bubbling inside of him. </p>
<p>Two of his brothers.</p>
<p>Gone.</p>
<p>It took a tug on his arm to realize Marco was shouting, trying to get through to him. He looked up, and though he looked lost, he tried to focus on what was being said.</p>
<p>“-ou hear me?? Ace?! We’re going to run to the ship!”</p>
<p>The last thing he remembered was Jinbe taking Luffy, and Marco helping him stand before he blacked out. It all happened so suddenly, his brain was barely able to process it, so he’d just given up and let people he knew he could trust take care of him.</p>
<p>When he woke up, he sat up abruptly. Someone had placed him in his own bed. With the way his chest heaved and heart was racing, he briefly wondered if the entire thing had been a dream - setting out to find Blackbeard, getting thrown into Impel Down, almost getting executed at Marineford… and Luffy. </p>
<p>
  <i>Luffy.</i>
</p>
<p>Ace hopped out of the bed, and as soon as he opened the door, he was met with Izo. The commander offered him a nervous smile, but before he could say anything, Ace grabbed him by the shoulders.</p>
<p>“Where’s Luffy??”</p>
<p>“Oh, he’s in the infirmary with Mar-- hey! Should you be running around after all that? Ace??”</p>
<p>Ace had pushed past Izo and was making his way to see Luffy. Any confused crewmate he passed on the way couldn’t get a word in, since Ace was set on getting to the infirmary. Maybe Marco had miraculously fixed everything.</p>
<p>Except he hadn’t. </p>
<p>When Ace burst through the door, Luffy was laying on the medical bed and Marco was sitting beside him with a frown. The phoenix looked up and then stood slowly, watching Ace to make sure he wasn’t going to collapse.</p>
<p>“I’m… really sorry,” Marco said.</p>
<p>“No,” Ace said, and stepped closer, his eyes glued on Luffy. “No. You can heal him. You gotta. You’ve got those… those healin’ powers, you gotta help him. Please.”</p>
<p>“Ace, he’s already…” Marco shook his head. “There’s way too much damage for me to fix. The magma was incredibly hard on his organs.”</p>
<p>Ace choked out a sob. “There’s gotta be a way! He can’t go out, not like this,” he said. Tears streamed down his face and his chest hurt, like he was the one who’d gotten punched. “It should’ve been me, Marco. It should’ve been <i>me!</i> I was the one who was supposed to die, not Luffy.”</p>
<p>Marco carefully pulled Ace in for a hug. “I’m so sorry,” he said again. His voice was soothing and quiet. “No one should have died back there. That magma bastard took it way too far, and we’ll avenge Luffy.”</p>
<p>Ace buried his face in the crook of Marco’s neck and continued to cry it out, nodding weakly. Marco wished he could heal emotional wounds, but anything he could help would need to be physical. The two stayed like that for a few minutes before Ace lifted his head and sniffled. Marco pulled away and gave him a pat on the back. </p>
<p>“Can I… be alone with him for a bit?” Ace managed, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.</p>
<p>Marco offered a gentle smile. “Of course. If you need anything, I’ll be just outside the door, okay?”</p>
<p>Ace nodded, and once Marco had closed the door, he looked back at Luffy. With the sheet pulled up to his chest, he looked like he was just sleeping. Ace knew that wasn’t the case, but it helped calm him, even a little bit.</p>
<p>He pulled a chair over to sit beside the bed. “Hey, Luf,” he said softly, and forced a little smile. “You gave it all you got today, huh?” He averted his gaze, his smile fading somewhat as he fidgeted with his fingers. “I know I haven’t really seen you all that much these past couple years, but… I’m gonna miss you, y’know? Who else am I gonna have to watch over to make sure he doesn’t get himself in trouble?” He let out a sad chuckle. “I guess I didn’t do a very good job.”</p>
<p>He sighed, took a moment to think, and then looked back up at Luffy. “At least you can meet up with Sabo again, right? I bet he’ll be real excited to see you. Tell him I say hi.”</p>
<p>There was another moment of silence.</p>
<p>And then, an echoing voice.</p>
<p>“Luffy…”</p>
<p>Ace whipped his head around to see that he wasn’t the only visitor in the room. Was it a ghost?? “Who… what are you??”</p>
<p>“I am Iterum,” they replied, and moved closer to the bed. “I visit those who are living and worthy of second chances. I visited Luffy earlier.”</p>
<p>Ace glanced at Luffy, then back at Iterum. “What? Earlier when? He’d been fighting,” he said. “And what do you mean by second chances? Second chance for what?”</p>
<p>“In another timeline, you had died at Marineford,” Iterum said. “I visited Luffy once he returned to Amazon Lily so I could offer him a second chance at saving you. He agreed, despite the risk of a less desirable outcome.”</p>
<p>Ace’s expression softened, and he was quiet as he processed their words. “Wait, he… tried to save me once before?” he asked, voice cracking. “And… I died?”</p>
<p>Iterum nodded.</p>
<p>Ace looked at Luffy again. His brother had sacrificed himself. So many people had sacrificed themselves for him today, but Luffy… Luffy willingly put himself at risk a second time, fully knowing the consequences. “So... that means he lived in that timeline?”</p>
<p>“Correct.”</p>
<p>Ace hummed. It was so bittersweet, the feeling. He’d finally realized that so many people cared for him, enough to face death, that they all came together to save him. But was it really worth it in the end, if it meant losing Luffy? The beloved captain of the Straw Hats, and future King of the Pirates. Had his crew heard of his passing? How were they reacting? Would they have to figure out who the new captain would be, or would they disband?</p>
<p>“Is there a way this could be reversed?” Ace asked. The words spilled out of his mouth before he could really think about them. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate what Luffy had done for him. Whether or not Ace reversed it, he’d still remember Luffy risking his life for him, until his very last breath. “You came to me, I assume it’s because I deserve a second chance.”</p>
<p>“This is true. It can be reversed,” Iterum said. “The situation is complicated, as one party has already made an agreement with me, and I am only allowed to help a person once. However, I do know how I can still give you a second chance. It may not be a favorable outcome.”</p>
<p>Ace frowned. “Well… what is it?”</p>
<p>“The only way to undo this is to have the events unfold as they were originally,” Iterum said. “You will die, and Luffy will live.”</p>
<p>“Deal.”</p>
<p>There was no hesitation. No thinking about it. Ace knew for sure that it was the better outcome if Luffy was the one that survived.</p>
<p>“I must explain to you how it will pan out. Each detail will be exactly the same as the original timeline, but your current memories will not be reset. There is a rule that you must not speak about me or discuss that you have been given a second chance.” Iterum moved closer. “Once I reset the timeline, you will be placed at Marineford, right before Akainu is about to harm Luffy. You will step in front of Akainu, take the punch, and die in Luffy’s arms. Do you accept this?”</p>
<p>Ace gave a nod. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“Take my hand,” Iterum said, and offered it for Ace to take. “Now… say the following: I, Portgas D. Ace, wish to reset. Once you do, I will reset you to Marineford. I promise it will not be painful. In fact, you will feel nothing at all. You will see a flash, and then you will be there.”</p>
<p>Ace took a deep breath, looked at Luffy one last time, and managed a smile. When he looked back at Iterum, his eyes started to well up with tears. “I, Portgas D. Ace, wish to reset.”</p>
<p>“You shall experience Marineford once again. Good luck.”</p>
<p>As promised, there was a flash of light, and Ace was back at Marineford. He saw Luffy on the ground, about to be punched by Akainu. In the blink of an eye, Ace was between the two, and a magma fist punched through his body. Luffy had been unharmed.</p>
<p>This was always how it was supposed to be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are always appreciated! 💛<br/>Also, come say hi to me on my <a href="https://bajillianwrites.tumblr.com/">writing blog</a>, where I post updates about what I'm working on!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>